ARCHBOLD, OH – The Northern Buckeye Education Council (NBEC) is proud to partner with the Advanced Manufacturing Consortium (AMC), an employer-led sector partnership in Northwest Ohio, to support the new AMC STEAM Robotics Challenge. This vital initiative, made possible by a generous Community Impact Grant from General Motors (GM), is a critical step in connecting classroom learning directly to in-demand industrial applications for our regional students.
Building the Pipeline of Future Innovators
The program is designed to provide comprehensive, relevant experiences through two distinct pathways for our students. For our middle school participants, the VEX IQ Division supplies kits for hands-on robotics design and problem-solving. At the high school level, the VEX CTE Division features advanced 6-Axis robotic arms, conveyors, and sensors, simulating a professional workcell environment. The $30,000 GM grant has been instrumental in equipping 14 regional schools, supported by the NBEC, with these educational robotics kits, enabling us to cultivate elite student teams.
NBEC-Supported Participating Schools
The Northern Buckeye Education Council is thrilled to facilitate this opportunity for the following schools in partnership with the AMC:
VEX IQ (Middle School) Participants:
Ayersville MS
Defiance ES/MS
Edgerton MS
Pettisville MS
Stryker MS
Tinora MS
VEX CTE (High School) Participants:
Edgerton HS
Four County Career Center
Hicksville HS
Montpelier HS
Stryker HS
Patrick Henry HS
Pettisville HS
General Motors: A Champion for Education and Community
We extend our sincere thanks to General Motors for their commitment to community impact through this substantial Community Impact Grant, which was awarded on November 13th. Their investment focuses on the long-term economic health of Northwest Ohio by actively preparing our students for local technical careers. We also note with appreciation that as part of this commitment, the AMC shared $60,000 of the grant with the United Way of Defiance County, further strengthening community ties.
"General Motors' support is transformational, fundamentally changing how our students view and engage with manufacturing," says John Mansel-Pleydell, PLG Supervisor for NBEC. "By empowering them with industrial-grade technology today, GM is helping the NBEC and AMC build the highly-skilled workforce of tomorrow. We are deeply grateful for their partnership and dedication to the youth in our community."
Strategic Timeline for 2026-2027
The NBEC is actively supporting the AMC's strategic roadmap for the coming school year:
Jan - Mar 2026: Launch of a hybrid Professional Development series for 12 regional educators to serve as expert coaches.
March 2026: High school teams will debut their skills at the NORTech Robotics Challenge at Bowling Green State University (BGSU).
April 2026: Middle school teams will showcase their leadership by hosting design activities for 5th and 6th graders at Mini-Manufacturing Day at Northwest State Community College.
Fall 2026: Students will participate in a specialized Virtual VEX CTE Competition to test advanced programming and automation skills.
Aug - Oct 2026: Establishment of the VEX IQ and VEX CTE Robotics Leagues, with competitions using 2026-2027 game rules.
This program is set to empower a minimum of 100 direct student participants with intensive robotics experience, while the demonstrations at Manufacturing Day events will reach over 800 students annually across the region.
Learn More
For additional information about the challenge, team resources, or how schools can get involved, please visit the official website: https://www.amcrobotics.org